Return

Seppala Station sometimes felt like the furthest point from Federation territory. Across the void of space between two spiral arms, the station was the last possible Federation stop for explorers coming this far rimward. The station was small. It was little more than an older civilian mining station based on the Regula One design, which Starfleet had purchased and was in the process of updating. It housed a small crew of a couple hundred Starfleet personnel and a few hundred civilian explorers, colonists, and traders. It hovered over a large shepherd moon, which circled a small gas giant. A small colony sat on one of the larger islands of the watery moon – tentatively called Golovin.

In Federation space, it would have been a station most likely missed or forgotten. But here on the edge of a galactic arm it was a beacon. It was a haven, a waypoint, an anchorage, but most importantly to the people of the region it was their connection to home. The orbital station connected the colonists to the worlds outside, and protected them – and the colony was a safe haven for the explorers. It was solid ground in a very new area of the galaxy. Despite the small size, it made an impact on the region.

Today was a good day for the colony and outpost, though. Many had gathered on the outpost observation deck. They stared out into the void, waiting patiently for a single event. Families had brought children, people sat and picnicked waiting. Though the officer in charge of the station couldn’t find the patience to do that. He paced back and forth on the command deck.

He finally stopped, running a hand across his stubbled chin, and looking back to the officers in the room with him. “What’s the time?” He asked quickly, casting his eyes from officers to the view screen.

“1523,” An officer chimed in. “Still 7 minutes from arrival if they are perfectly on time.”

“Calm down, Adams.” The civilian advisor for the colony chimed in, “We have plenty of supplies. This is just the last piece we need before we’re a fully self-sufficient outpost.”

“Yes – but if they don’t arrive.”

“Then you’ll have to come down to the colony more.” The civilan said with a shake of her head. “You’re not good at ceremony are you, Theo?”

“No. And. A bit excited.”

“Oh!” An excited chime came from an enlisted person at the ops console. “I have a ping, Lieutenant. Detecting energy fluctuations matching a QSD burst.”

“Really?” The Lieutenant Adams said with a quick rise in the tone of his voice. He moved to the view screen and started scanning the black sky. He wasn’t the only one. Most in the room did. The watched carefully, until someone shouted out.

“There!” A finger pointed to the corner of the screen. A short lived blink of blue shone and disappeared. They waited quietly for a second as the color faded.

“Getting IFF signals. Federation.” An officer spoke.

The officer in charge let out a sigh of relief, a quiet, “Oh, thank god.” And put his hand on his chest. He let his head relax, and he looked down at the floor plating. The room hustled back to work after that, five minutes passing before anything new. Then there was an excited bit of noise in the room. Idle chatter and excitement at first. Then someone outside the command quarters, assembled on the observation deck began to cheer. Then there was a roar of cheers as Federation ships were spotted.

People had spotted the outline of the lead ship, and the few other ships in her shadow. It was a sight for sore eyes for most. In the command deck, an officer jumped up. “Hail!”

“On screen,” The Officer in Charge said, moving to the center of the room in front of the screen. He stood excitedly, unable to keep a smile from crossing his lips.

The screen popped to life, and there stood a small Chinese woman in command red. She immediately spotted the smile on the man, and couldn’t help but reveal her own. “Seppala, this is Captain Sun Mei Xiang of the USS Shanghai.” She said quickly and professionally – always true to her marine reputation.

“Captain, it’s great to see you back. I hope your trip was good.” The Officer in Charge spoke swiftly.

“It was. Cait has some incredible autumnal festivals.” She said. “We’ve got four ships in tow, loaded down with supplies.” The small marine spoke and stepped forward towards the viewscreen aboard the Shanghai. “If you’ve got the manpower, we’re ready to take up an orbit and get to work. Shuttles are being loaded to get supplies to the colony, and workbees will be ready to start on the station.”

“Of course, Captain. We’ve been ready. I’ll start getting teams to the docks.” Lieutenant Adams said quickly, turning away from the view screen to wave another officer to action.